


pieces of me

by mullethyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 2000s, Alternate Universe - High School Musical Fusion, First Meetings, Football | Soccer, High School, Karaoke, Love at First Sight, M/M, New Year's Eve, Secrets, more specifically "the popular jock has a raging crush on the oblivious nerd", the classic jock/nerd trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29302113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mullethyuck/pseuds/mullethyuck
Summary: “I had a lot of fun singing with you. You were amazing.” Jeno looks up at Donghyuck, cheeks rosy and eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “You sing a lot?”Donghyuck huffs out a laugh, breath fogging between them. “Yeah, sure. My showerhead is very impressed.”
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83
Collections: Challenge #5 — I heard a secret..





	pieces of me

**Author's Note:**

> yes this is exactly what it looks like,, i've wanted to do a nohyuck hsm au for a long time so i'm glad i finally got a chance to get it out of my system <3
> 
> shoutout to the mods as always (y'all know i love you) and my wonderful [beta](https://twitter.com/nononomin_) who helped me bring this fic to life :3
> 
> the title is surprisingly not from hsm but i did steal it from another middle school jam....you can imagine them singing whatever you want but i just think nohyuck would kill this [song](https://open.spotify.com/track/7yXibbAYi4to5oQTeO738f) and it fit the mood lmao

Donghyuck did not sign up for this.

He’s running drills with his dad in the fitness center of the ski lodge they’re staying at―he’ll admit his footwork has become a little sloppy in the offseason―when his mom barges in and announces, with no room for argument, that he has to get ready for some stupid New Year’s Eve party.

That doesn’t stop him from trying, obviously. He lets the ball roll sadly across the floor as he protests with no small amount of whine in his voice. “Do I _have_ to go?”

His mom levels him with a look, hands braced on her hips. “It’s the last night of our trip, and we are not missing it. We did not come all this way for you to play more soccer.” Which, while technically true, is beside the point.

Donghyuck looks to his dad for any shred of solidarity, but he only shrugs. “Sorry, kiddo.” Famous last words.

So naturally, an hour later, Donghyuck finds himself standing in the middle of a crowded room, abandoned by his parents at some _kids’ party_ ―his mom’s words, not his. He is seventeen years old and definitely not a kid, thank you very much. Being blinded by the reflection of a disco ball as he nurses a glass of punch that will probably put him in a diabetic coma any minute now doesn’t seem like much of a party, either. He tugs at the collar of his hoodie awkwardly as somebody shoves a giant pair of sunglasses onto his face, lenses hidden in the zeroes of the _2006._ At least his retinas are saved; he wishes he could say the same for his boredom.

Maybe he should be careful what he wishes for, though, because one second the emcee is obnoxiously declaring it karaoke time in the lull between songs and the next, a spotlight is shining directly in Donghyuck’s face as he’s being pulled by the arm onto a makeshift stage.

“Wait, I don’t―” he starts to protest, but the emcee is already off to claim his next victim. He’s like one of those teachers who actively seek out the kids who aren’t paying attention just to force them to participate, which is annoying in the classroom and potentially mortifying in Donghyuck’s current position. He’s never sung in front of actual people and he really had no plans to start anytime soon. Or ever.

By the looks of it, the emcee’s other target isn’t any more prepared for this sudden turn of events. The guy is still holding a book in his hands, finger between the pages like he’s afraid he’ll lose his spot, and the emcee is yelling something into the mic about maybe thanking him for this later. Donghyuck highly doubts that. If the look on his new companion’s face is anything to go by, the sentiment is shared.

The emcee ditches the stage before Donghyuck can say anything else, and the opening notes of a soft song he’s never heard float through the air. He sighs, resigned to his fate, and scans the room, eyes landing on a screen with the lyrics emblazoned in big, bold letters. The other guy doesn’t move, so Donghyuck guesses he’ll have to take the first verse. He’ll never see these people again, so what difference does it make if he embarrasses himself, really? Hardly anyone is paying them any attention, anyway. Or so he tells himself―he’s pointedly avoiding looking out into the crowd.

Donghyuck takes a deep breath, and follows along as the words on the monitor light up in tune with the song. It’s a shaky start, but no one is actively booing him, so he’ll count it as a win. His voice steadies itself out as he eases into it, and he relaxes considerably by the time his verse is done. He looks away from the screen to flash his companion a reassuring smile only to find that the other boy is still frozen in fear a foot away from the microphone. His hands are shaking, and Donghyuck can see the pages of his book shivering with the force of it.

It’s clear this guy has no intention of performing. The other party-goers are still ignoring the impromptu concert for the most part, so Donghyuck decides to cut his losses and escape before it’s too late. He’s halfway off the platform when the most beautiful voice he’s ever heard cuts through the noise.

Donghyuck spins on his heel, turning to face the source of the sound, his reluctant co-star. The guy is still gripping the spine of his book like a lifeline, but his voice is soft and calm and soothing and betrays none of his internal panic. It’s deeper than Donghyuck’s, and he’s dying to know what they would sound like together.

So he steps back up to his microphone and joins in for the chorus, which earns him a tiny smile from the boy and a cheer from the crowd, who have apparently become invested in the show somewhere between the end of Donghyuck’s verse and his return to center stage. Donghyuck feeds off of their energy, pulling the microphone from its stand to really work the room, and someone pushes the other boy into Donghyuck’s chest, and then their eyes are locking and they’re lost in their own world.

Donghyuck doesn’t even realize the song has ended until he sees the other boy rush off the stage and back into the sea of bodies.

“Wait―” Donghyuck cuts himself off as he hops down off the platform, pushing the ridiculous sunglasses off his face so he can track the boy’s baby blue sweater vest through the crowd. He catches a glimpse of it as the guy makes his way out the door, and all but sprints to catch him before the boy of his dreams crosses the threshold and disappears forever.

He’s got one foot outside by the time Donghyuck catches up, and when Donghyuck grabs his wrist to get his attention, there’s already snow in his hair. “You must be cold,” is not what Donghyuck planned on saying, but nothing about this night is going according to plan.

“Uh―” the boy starts, furrowing his brow as Donghyuck slips his varsity jacket off and slides it over his shoulders. “Thanks.” He holds his book closer to his chest, wrapping the jacket tighter around his body.

“No problem.” Now Donghyuck is kind of freezing in nothing but a sweatshirt, but the grateful smile the other boy gives him makes it worth a little potential frostbite. “What’s your name?”

The guy looks surprised that he’s asking, but he answers anyway. “Jeno. You?”

Somebody runs into Donghyuck, shoving him into the boy― _Jeno_ ―and sending them stumbling out into the night just in time for the celebratory fireworks. “I’m Donghyuck,” he offers as they make their way over to the railing of the balcony. The girl to Donghyuck’s right checks her phone, and the screen shows they only have three more minutes till midnight.

Jeno hums, leaning against the edge of the rail. “I had a lot of fun singing with you. You were amazing.” He looks up at Donghyuck, cheeks rosy and eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “You sing a lot?”

Donghyuck huffs out a laugh, breath fogging between them. “Yeah, sure. My showerhead is very impressed.”

Jeno rolls his eyes good naturedly. “Whatever. You’re a natural.”

Donghyuck shrugs noncommittally. “Nah. I’m just good at faking it.” Someone behind them excitedly reports that the fireworks will start in one minute, and it hits Donghyuck that this will all be over soon. “Look, Jeno―” He turns to face Jeno head on, which earns him a raised brow. “Singing with you was the most fun I’ve had this entire vacation.” He inhales, bracing himself. “Can I―Can I have your number?”

To Donghyuck’s surprise, Jeno’s face breaks into a grin before the question has even left his mouth. “Yeah,” he says softly, reaching out a hand. “Gimme your phone.”

“It’s, uh. It’s in the pocket.” Donghyuck points to his jacket still draped across Jeno’s shoulders. Jeno grabs it before digging his own phone out of the pocket of his jeans.

“Here, put your number in,” he says as he hands Donghyuck the cell. He’s already punching his name into Donghyuck’s Blackberry, fingers flying over the little keys before he holds the phone up to take a selfie for his contact. Donghyuck does the same, and by the time the phones have been returned to their rightful owners, the countdown is starting.

 _Five._ Jeno’s saying something about new beginnings, but Donghyuck isn’t really listening. He’s distracted.

 _Four._ Jeno is looking up at the stars, face full of wonder as he waits for the ringing of the new year.

 _Three._ Donghyuck looks down at his phone, running his thumb over the pixelated version of Jeno on the screen to wipe away a snowflake.

 _Two._ Jeno gives Donghyuck’s jacket back, cold knuckles brushing against the back of Donghyuck’s hand as he lets his arm drop back down to his side.

 _One._ Donghyuck looks up from his phone, midway through some quip about how this really does feel like the start of something new.

 _Happy new year._ Jeno is gone.

* * *

Donghyuck doesn’t call Jeno.

To be fair, Jeno doesn’t call him, either. Blame it on teenage awkwardness or the reservations that come with the very real possibility of never seeing each other again, but either way, they don’t talk anymore. Donghyuck leaves for Albuquerque the next morning, and once he’s home, soccer is pretty much all he has time for in the remaining week before classes start back up. Well, soccer and staring longingly at Jeno’s contact picture while his finger hovers over the call button, actually. But for all practical reasons, it’s just soccer.

Until he walks into homeroom on the Monday after the break and glimpses a ghost of ski trips past, his dream boy, probably the last person he expected to see sitting in Mr. Kim’s drama classroom. _Jeno._ He doesn’t mean to say the name out loud, but, well.

“What?” vice captain of the soccer team, Mark Lee, hisses as he tries to follow Donghyuck’s line of sight. “Who is―”

He’s cut off by Mr. Kim’s dramatic entrance, promptly followed by a monologue about the sanctity of the theatre and how that somehow relates to respecting the rules of the classroom. He cuts Mark a look as he steals the soccer ball Mark is leaning against on top of his desk, eliciting a groan from Mark which prompts a whole spiel about the importance of the arts and what a tragedy it is that society nowadays only values the “brutish pursuit of physical prowess.” That obviously leads to shamelessly promoting the upcoming musical, and Mr. Kim encourages everyone to sign up as if the whole thing isn’t rigged.

Donghyuck tunes him out in favour of digging his phone out of his pocket as stealthily as possible. He pulls up Jeno’s contact, squinting at the tiny image before looking over his shoulder at the very real boy at the back of the room. Mark looks at him like he’s insane, but before his best friend can question him again, Donghyuck is pressing the call button and Jeno’s ringtone is blaring in the small space.

Mr. Kim is furious, already going off on a tangent about how this is exactly the kind of disrespect he was talking about, but Donghyuck doesn’t care. All he sees is Jeno, in the back row, checking his phone and looking up to meet Donghyuck’s eyes. Mr. Kim is scolding everyone individually at this point, collecting every phone in sight and sentencing them all to after-school detention. Donghyuck can’t even find it in himself to feel bad for bringing half the class down with him. It was worth it, if it caught Jeno’s attention.

When class is over, Donghyuck tells Mark to go ahead and hangs behind the door until he sees Jeno exit the room. “Jeno?” he says under his breath as he falls into step with the other boy.

“Donghyuck?” Jeno’s face lights up with the force of his smile, eyes curving into little crescents. “I don’t―”

“―believe it,” Donghyuck finishes for him as they turn a corner. “Well, me―”

“―either.” Jeno laughs, and Donghyuck’s heart riots against his ribcage.

Donghyuck’s smile is involuntary when he asks, “How?”

“My mom’s company transferred her. I just moved last week.” Jeno shrugs like it’s no big deal and not the most earth-shattering thing that could have possibly happened on the first day back from break.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” Donghyuck says, and it sounds more genuine than he really means for it to.

“I didn’t think so either,” Jeno says, brow furrowing. “Um, Donghyuck. Why are you whispering?”

“Huh?” he whispers, and then realizes what he’s doing. He clears his throat, heat creeping into his cheeks. “Oh, uh. Sorry, it’s just―” He pauses, unsure how to word it.

Miraculously, Jeno saves him the trouble. “What, you didn’t tell your friends about the trip?”

Donghyuck shakes his head, forcing out a laugh. “No, it’s just―They know about the trip. The skiing and the soccer, anyway. The singing...not so much.” He runs a nervous hand through his hair as Jeno stops in front of a locker.

Donghyuck’s bangs deflate back onto his forehead as Jeno says, “Why not?” like it’s that simple. Like it would be totally fine for Donghyuck to tell the team he’s decided to pick up a new hobby―a hobby that wouldn’t get him a scholarship, or carry on his dad's legacy of collecting championship rings, and _would_ definitely infuriate Jaemin Na, resident prince of the drama department. If for no other reason, staying out of Jaemin’s way is enough motivation to swear off singing for the rest of Donghyuck’s life.

He doesn’t say any of that, mostly because he isn’t sure Jeno would understand. “It’s not what I do,” is what he settles on.

Jeno gives him a funny look, like he’s trying to work out an equation that he hasn’t found the solution for yet. “You can do more than one thing, Donghyuck.” Normally Donghyuck would be inclined to disagree, but the way Jeno says it makes it sound true.

But he’ll stick with soccer for now―the singing is special, a piece of him just for Jeno. He doesn’t want to ruin the illusion that it could be anything more. Not yet. That doesn’t stop him from considering it, though.

Donghyuck tilts his head, pursing his lips as he hums in thought. Maybe Jeno has a point, after all. “I wish it were that easy.”

It’s not a promise, not even close. But it’s a start.

**Author's Note:**

> i would've loved to do a whole long fic with this au but alas, i do not have the attention span....but this was super fun i had a blast reliving my childhood :D i did have to cut out a scene at the end though, so maybe i'll post that sometime? lemme know if you'd wanna see it <3
> 
> come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/mullethyuck) let's be friends :3


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